Back in 1965 Bob Dylan was asked what might tempt him to sell out. His reply? "Ladies undergarments". So his fans, many of whom are now up in arms about his decision to appear alongside scantily clad models in a new TV commercial for lingerie firm Victoria's Secret, can't complain that they weren't forewarned.
In the extraordinary move the 62-year-old folk hero, dressed all in black and sporting eye liner and a trendy, pencil thin moustache and goatee, is portrayed catching an eyeful of model Adriana Lima cavorting round Venice in bra, pants and spike heels. The musician then kicks into a rendition of his 1977 song Love Sick, as a host of models wearing feathery angels' wings flutter in the background.
Although the singer has lent his music to commercial ventures in the past - the Bank of Montreal used his classic The Times They Are A Changing in a 1996 ad campaign - many of his followers are outraged by this latest move. The New York Post dubbed it "sell-out of the week" while fans have been busy venting their feelings in internet chat rooms.
Meanwhile, there's no word from the mega-wealthy star on his reasons for accepting the Victoria's Secret offer. "I never talked to him about why he decided to come to the party," says the lingerie company's chief creative officer Ed Razek. "But he did. He's iconic, a living legend."
The ad will air in the US over the next two weeks.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
